Single block actuator for a revolvertype gun



May 27, 1958 E. R. BUTLER ET AL SINGLE BLOCK ACTUATOR FOR A REVOLVER-TYPE GUN Filed Oct. 15, 1953 H wml y 1958 E. R. BUTLER ET AL 2,835,107

SINGLE BLOCK ACTUATOR FOR A REVOLVER-TYPE GUN Filed Oct. 15, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jig. .L'l- Jig". 4

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United States atent I SINGLE BLOCK ACTUATOR FOR A REVOLVER- TYPE GUN Earl R. Butler, Dayton, Ohio, and Kenneth A. Main, Ridgewood, N. J., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Application October 15, 1953, Serial No. 386,413

1 Claim. (Cl. 89-156) (Granted under Title 35, U. s. Code 1952 sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

Our invention relates to an electrically fired revolvertype automatic weapon and more particularly to the actuator for rotating the cartridge drum of such a weapon.

The weapon ordinarily comprises a receiver with a recoil unit slidable therein including a barrel, and a cartridge drum having peripherally spaced stub shafts there on with the axes thereof intersecting the axes of the cartridge chambers of the drum. The drum is rotatably mounted on the recoil unit to convey the cartridge chambers successively to a firing position aligned with the barrel.

An actuator, slidable on the receiver, is biased to a battery position and provided with grooves for engaging the rollers to locate the chambers. The grooves include a straight groove for retaining a chamber in the firing position when the actuator is in battery position and curved outlet and inlet grooves extending oppositely from the straight groove. The actuator slides in an indexing cycle of rearward and forward strokes responsive to discharge of the cartridge in the firing position chamber and a tongue pivoted on the actuator respecively connects the outlet and inlet grooves to the straight groove during the rearward and forward strokes to remove the chamber including the spent cartridge from the firing position and to rotate the succeeding chamber into the firing position.

The tongue is rotated by a separate cam, secured to the recoil member, by means of a switch pin secured to the tongue and projecting through an arcuate slot in the actuator to engage a guide surface of the cam.

In the weapon described, the strain of accelerating and decelerating rotation of the drum falls on the pivot and switch pins of the tongue, causing them to break and the weapon to fail. Also, the means for securing the cam to the recoil member is necessarily of light construction and frequently fails due to stresses from rotation of the drum.

It is an object of our invention, therefore, to provide a simple, substantial and efficient means for rotating the drum of such a weapon.

Another object of our invention is to provide an integral actuator means for rotating the drum of such a weapon.

An additional object of our invention is to provide a device for rotating the drum of such a weapon including a single spring-biased block slidable on the actuator and adapted for transmitting forces to the drum.

Other aims and objects of our invention will appear from the following description.

In carrying out our invention, a revolver-type weapon includes an actuator similarly provided with grooves, and similarly responsive to discharge of cartridges in the firing position of the drum. The actuator is provided with an integral block spring-biased to a normal position therein and provided with opposed bearing surfaces for simultaneously engaging the actuator and one of the drum rollers in the normal position of the block to transmit forces between the roller and the actuator. The roller bearing surface of the block extends between the outlet groove and the straight groove for acceleration of the drum. A ramp surface is provided on the block for roller engagement during deceleration of the drum to depress the block out of normal position.

For a better understanding of our invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electrically fired, revolver-type automatic weapon including one embodiment of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a partly cutaway elevation view of the weapon;

Fig. 3 is a view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view along the line 4--4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a partly cutaway exploded view of the actuator of the weapon.

According to the drawing, a weapon 12 is provided with a receiver 14 including sides 16 and an end 18 substantially perpendicular to a base plate 26. Forward and rear pairs of mounting trunnions 22 and 24, respectively, are perpendicularly secured to sides 16.

A recoil unit, slidable on receiver 14, includes a barrel 26 with a bore axis 27. Barrel 26 is secured to a cradle 28 and is slidably disposed in a support 30 of receiver 14. Cradle 28 includes a pair of feet 32 slidable in corresponding grooves 34 of'receiver 14. A cartridge drum 36 including chambers 38 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 40 journalled at 42 and 44 in cradle 23. Chambers 38 are loaded by a feeder mechanism represented generally by a housing 45.

Weapon 12 is shown in battery position in Fig. 2 with a chamber 38 in the six oclock firing position of drum 36 aligned with barrel 26. A cartridge 46 is shown in position in the chamber. Drum 36 is provided with radial stub shafts 48 projecting from the surface thereof and intersecting the axes of chambers 38. index rollers 59 are rotatably disposed on shafts 48.

Barrel 26 and receiver 14, respectively, include passages 52 and 54 communicating between the bore of barrel 26 and a tube 56, slidably disposed between receiver 14 and a cylinder 58 of cradle 28. Cylinder 58 encloses a piston 60 secured to a plunger 62 projecting rearwardly from cylinder 58.

An actuator 64, slidably disposed on receiver 14 by means of projections 66 extending into channels 68 parallel to axis 27, is biased to a battery position in engagement with plunger 62 by a pair of buffer springs 70 engaging end 18. Springs 7t) are guided by rods 71.

Actuator 64 is provided with grooves for guiding roller 50 including a straight groove '72 parallel to channels 68 for retaining chamber 38 in alignment with barrel 26 when actuator 64 is in the battery position thereof. A pair of curved outlet and inlet grooves 74 and 76 for engaging rollers 50, oppositely extend from straight groove 72 to form a pair of forward and rearward lands 78 and 80, respectively. The lands are secured to a base 82 of actuator 64 and include an interrupted surface 84 concentric with drum 36. Land includes an aperture 86 forming an inverted T-slot with a portion of straight groove 72.

A block 88 is slidably disposed in a socket 96 in base 82 communicating with aperture 86, and the block is biased to a normal position by springs 92 bearing on base 82.

Weapon 12 is electrically fired and gases from the discharge of cartridge 46 in the firing position escape from barrel 26 through passages 52 and 54 and tube 56 to force piston 60, plunger 62 and consequently, actuator 64 rearwardly.

As actuator 64 slides against buffer springs 70 in the rearward stroke of a cycle to index drum 36, bearing surfaces 94 and 96 provided on block 88 respectively engage the roller corresponding to the spent cartridge and actuator 64 to rotate drum 36. Heating surface 94 is curved and extends between straight groove 72 and outlet groove 74 in the normal position of block 88 and as actuator continues to move rearwardiy, the roller is further accelerated by groove 74.

As the spent cartridge roller 3 leaves actuator 64, the succeeding roller 50 is carried by rotation of drum 36 into curved groove 76. The curve of groove 76 is constructed to decelerate the drum and the kinetic energy of the deceleration aids springs 70 in returning actuator 64 to battery position.

A ramped surface 98 is provided on block 88 for contact with the succeeding roller 56 to depress the block out of the engagement position thereby to aid in decelera tion of drum 36, and as actuator 64 returns to the battery position, straight groove 72 engages the succeeding rolier to retain the chamber corresponding thereto in the firing position in preparation for the next discharge.

The objects of our invention thus are fully met by the apparatus described above, since rotation of the drum is controlled by an actuator including a single sliding block.

While the foregoing is a description of the preferred embodiment, the following claim is intended to include those modifications and variations that are within the spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim:

In a revolver-type gun, a receiver, a recoil unit slidable in said receiver including a cradle, a barrel having a bore therein secured to said cradle and a drum having a plurali'ty of cartridge receiving chambers therein rotatably mounted in said recoil unit, there being a plurality of peripherally spaced rollers mounted on-said drum, means indexing asaid cartridge successively to a firing position in alignment with said bore in said barrel and to accelerate and decelerate said drum during said indexing comprising an actuator slidably mounted in said receiver, spring means normally biasing saidactuator towards a battery position in said receiver, there being a rearwardly extending straight groove in the floor of said actuator, said straight groove branchingat its forward portion into outwardly curved acceleration and deceleration grooves, said straight groove and said curved. grooves adapted to receive one of said rollers on said drum during said cartridge chamber indexing, there being a recess in the floor of said decelerating groove adjacent the forward portion of said straight groove and a spring biased block slidably received in said-recess, said block defining first and second opposed portions founing'a curved bearing surface along one of its sides adjacent said straight groove, said surface adapted to extend betweensaid straight grooveand said acceleration groove to form a continuous wall therewith when-said block is insaid normai biased position, there being a ramped bearing surface on its upper side adjacent said curved bearing surface and a concave bearing surface on the upper side of said portion extending into said deceleration groove, said curved surface adapted to en age one of said rollers on said drum to rotate same and said ramped surfaces and said concave surfaces to depress said blocs whereby said acceleration and deceleration of said drum is facilitated.

Switzerland 'Dec. 16, 1952 

